Ironing machine



Feb. 5, 1935. r LOWEKE 1,990,042

IRONING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1932 s Sheets-Sheet 1 @lmcm 'Feb. 5, 1935. E F

LOWEKE 1,990,042

IRONING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1952 3 Sheets-Shet 2 Feb; 5, 1935. E. F.- LOWEKE I IRoNIfiG MACHINE Filed April 15, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 way? We Erwin F. lLoweke, Detroit,

draulic Brake Company, poration of California Mich, assignor to Hy- Detroit, Mich a cor- Application April 15, 1932, Serial No. 605,401

8 Claims.

My invention pertains to ironing machines and is particularly applicable to a hand-operated ironing machine, although various features of my invention may also ironing machines.

be applied to other types of An object of my invention is to provide a handoperated ironing machine having a mechanical linkage for transmitting the force applied by the operator to the ironing this mechanical linkage elements, and in which automatically compensates for variation in thicknesses of articles to be ironed.

Another object is to provide novel forms of mechanical linkage for such a machine.

Another object is to provide a hand-operated ironing machine which will be cheap to manufacture.

Another object is to provide an ironing machine which will give long and satisfactory service without requiring repair or Other objects and other attention; advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an end elevation of incorporating my invention;

an ironing machine Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on'the line 2-2 of Fi 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view Fig. 6 is a view Fig. '7 is a view similar difierent embodiment of my taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; to Fig. 1 but showing a invention;

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation through the automatically adjustable mechanism of Fig. '1;

'Fig'. 9 is a view taken on the line 9-9 of Fig.

8; and

Fig. 8.

In the of the hand-operated type as 11 carrying arms 12 pivoted to Fig. 10 is a view taken on the line 1 -10 of embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6,

ironing machine comprising a frame the upper part of the frame as indicated at 13, and carrying a head 14. The forward ends of the arms 12 are provided with locking means 15 controlled by a handle 16, which tion shown in serve to lock the head in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

the posi- The head may be swung to elevated position where it is held by balancing mechanism 1'7. The parts so far described are well known and no detailed description thereof is deemed necessary.

The head 14 may be provi coil supplied with electricity cord 18. as is well known.-

ded with'a heating through a flexible The buck 19 is mounted for movement toward and from the head 14. In this form of my invention the buck 19 is supported on the upper ends of thrust members 20 which fit into sockets 21 formed in the base of the buck 19. The sockets are made of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of the thrust members 20, and the upper ends of the thrust members are slightly rounded to permit the buck to have slight lateral oscillation on the thrust members 20 and thereby adjust itself to variations in thickness of different parts of the article being pressed. The thrust members have teeth 22 formed in their lower ends which are received in bores 23 formed in reciprocable blocks 24. Inter-posed between each thrust member 20 and the bottom of its bore 23 is a spring 25 having sufficient strength to maintain the buck 19 in elevated position.

Each block 24 isreciprocably mounted in a 26 bolted to one of the cross members forming part at 31. The other end of one lever 28 is connected with operating handle 32 by a link 33. The operating handle 32 is rigidly attached to a cross shaft 34 which is suitably mounted on the machine frame and which oscillates with the handle. This cross shaft 34 has an arm 35 which is pivotally connected to one end of one of the levers 38 by means of a link 36.

The operating handle per position by a spring 37. In this position the handle engages'one end of a bell crank lever 38 and holds it in the position shown in 3 of the drawings, against the tension of spring 39. This bell crank lever is rigidly attached to an oscillatable rod 40 having] rigidly secured thereto a short arm 41. The bell crank lever 38 has a short arm 42 which engages in a slot 43 forms in the head of a locking p'n 44. This locking pin is urged outwardly by a spring 45 and has an inner end 46 which is adapted to engage one of the teeth 22. The arm 41 at the opposite end of the rod 40 similarly engages in a groove in the head of the locking pin at the opposite end of the machine.

The operating handle 32 moves in a slot formed 'between'a leg of the frame and a U-shaped strap 4'1 which is bolted or otherwise secured thereto This handle is preferably provided with an automatic lock 48 which will hold the handle in any position to which it is moved and thereby 32 is normally held in up- Figs. 1 and maintain pressure on the article being ironed without continuous exertion on the part of the operator. For this purpose the handle 32 is made of two parts and comprises a main portion 49 and a grip carrying portion 50.

The main portion 49 of the handle is provided with a wedge-shaped part 51 located between the strap 47 and adjacent leg of the frame. Cooperating with this wedge-shaped part 51 is a roller 52 which is urged downwardly by a spring 53 resting against a plate 54 attached to the upper surface of main portion 49. The roller 52 is jammed between the wedge-shaped part 51 and the leg of the ironing machine frame by the action of spring 53 and serves to lock the main portion 49 against upward movement.

When it is desired to release the lock 48 to permit upward movement of the main portion 49, the operator exerts an upward force on the grip portion 50. This grip portion 50 is pivoted at 55 to the main portion 49 and is provided with a finger 56 which underlies the roller 52 and which raises this roller against the tension of its spring 53 when an upward force is exerted on the grip portion 50. Continued exertion of upwardly directed force on the grip portion 50 causes block 5'7 to engage the end of main portion 49 and raise the same. The U-shaped strap 58 is attached to the grip portion 50 by the same securing means for holding the block 57, and when the operator exerts a downward force on the grip portion 50, strap 58 engages the outer end of main portion 49 and moves the same downwardly.

The embodiment of my invention disclosed in Figs. 7 to 10, inclusive, m similar to the embodiment previously described, except in the particular means for locking the thrust member 20' to the reciprocable blocks 24'. Parts of the two embodiments which are identical have been indicated by the same reference characters, and description of such identical parts, in connection with the second embodiment of my invention, is

omitted.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, the lower ends of the thrust members 20' are flattened at one side, as indicated at 60, and this flattened surface is contacted by a roller 61 wedged between said surface and the tapered surface of a cam 62 by the action of a spring 63. The spring rests against a plate 64 secured by screws 65 or other suitable means to the upper end of the block 24'.

The roller 61 is normally held in raised or nonlocking position by the end 66 of a rod 68 which is held in roller elevating position by the handle 69 when'the latter is in its full upward position. The rod 68 is provided with a flange 67 which limits downward movement of the rod when the handle is depressed. The handle 69 may beeither a single lever or may be of the two-piece locking construction described in the previous embodiment.

While I have illustrated and described only two embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that my invention is capable of assuming numerous forms and that the scope of my invention is to be limited only by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of pressing elements, one of said elements being movable, a thrust member for moving said movable element, means yieldingly supporting the thrust member, a reciprocable block,.

said block movable relative to said thrust member, means for locking said block to said thrust member in any one of a variety of possible relationships therebetween, and means for operating said block.

2. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a pair of pressing elements, a rod for actuating one of said elements, said rod having teeth formed thereon, a member cooperating with said rod and movable relative thereto, a pin carried by said member and adapted to engage one of said teeth, an operating handle connected to said member, and means controlled by said handle to disengage said member from said teeth.

3. In mechanism of the class described, the combination of a movable jaw, a yielding support therefor, a reciprocable member presenting a cam surface, a roller interposed between said surface and said support, a spring urging said roller into locking engagement with said cam surface and support, means for reciprocating said reciprocable member and means operated by said means for reciprocating the member to move said roller against the action of said spring.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a movable jaw, a member for moving said jaw, an automatic lock for forming a rigid connection between said member and said jaw, an operating handle for said member, and means operated by said handle for releasing said lock.

5. An ironing machine comprising cooperative ironing elements one of which is movable toward and from the other, mechanism for actuating the movable element, a slidable connection between the movable element and the actuating mechanism, a resilient member in the connection supporting the movable element and means for locking the connection.

6. An ironing machine comprising cooperative ironing elements one of which is movable toward and from the other, mechanism for actuating the movable element, a yielding connection between the movable element and the actuating mechanism, means for locking the yielding connection, and means controlled by the actuating mechanism for releasing the locking means.

7. An ironing machine comprising cooperative ironing elements one of which is movable toward and from the other, a thrust member supporting the movable element, a movable member, a member carried by the movable member yieldingly supporting the thrust member, and a clutch between the thrust member and the movable member.

8. An ironing machine comprising cooperative ironing elements one of which is movable toward and from the other, a thrust member supporting the movable element, a movable member, a member carried thereby for yieldingly supporting the thrust member, a clutch between the thrust member and the movable member, mechanism for actuating the movable member, and means controlled by the actuating mechanism for releasing the clutch.

ERWIN F. LOWEKE. 

